'Let's solve security issues together'

JOY ORLEK LAST WEEK’S heist at Johannesburg International Airport, which saw a group of armed robbers making off with electronic equipment from a Lufthansa cargo warehouse, has once again highlighted the airport’s security failings. The possibility of an inside job is being investigated. The incident follows a multi-million rand robbery earlier this year involving Airports Company SA staff. “Security has been a serious concern over the past year,” says newly elected chairman of the Air Cargo Operators’ Committee, Alwyn Rautenbach. “The cargo community works very well together in terms of providing information to each other using the cameras we have in certain areas. It’s a case of competitors joining forces for the common good, which is a new trend. “But we need to ensure cargo security in the entire logistics chain. And the key to that is access to the public areas of the airport and identification of those drawing cargo from the airline bond stores,” says Rautenbach. Acoc has joined forces with the SA Association of Freight Forwarders and the Technology Asset Protection Association (Tapa) to investigate an alternative to the current Acsa permit system (see page 5). All existing permits for staff who are not based at JIA but who need access to the airline bond stores will be withdrawn on September 15. Acsa has however implemented its new permits for airline staff with offices at the airport. And while the industry welcomes the more stringent security measures, it has strongly criticised Acsa’s method of implementation. “As an airport stakeholder body, Acoc feels that co-operation with Acsa is vital to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. “But we don’t believe Acsa is serious about consultation. “We would like them to be less dictatorial, to listen to us and to consider the positive contribution we would like to make in terms of security. We feel we should be involved in a practical fashion so that we can make a positive contribution.” When Acsa proposed its new permit system and presented it to stakeholders, they were told that their method of implementation was impractical. “But they went ahead nonetheless and the result is that we lost thousands of man-hours as an industry.” Rautenbach himself stood in a queue for six hours to renew his permit. “It was a windy day, there were no ablution facilities, and no chairs. My supervisor spent 12 hours in the queue – not even prisoners are subjected to such conditions.” A recent survey revealed that 60% of all permits issued were incorrect, says Rautenbach “That means we now have to have them reissued and pay a second time to have them renewed," said Rautenbach. The industry is also unhappy with the new charges for casual permits and penalties for loss ranging from R300 for a visitor's permit to a R10 000 fine (see story on right). Rautenbach stressed that the industry was in full support of any security initiatives but wanted consultation with Acsa. “We would like to work positively to improve security but they don’t afford us the opportunity to do that.”